Best Of MetaFilter

blue_beetle "not the customer" shirt designed by Chris Piascik

We're happy to announce three new MetaFilter t-shirt designs for sale at TopatoCo. Check them out and order now in time for the holidays.

PA: Employee Free Choice Act Rally at State Democratic Convention by aflcio (cc by)

MetaFilter member oneironaut worked for recently deceased US Senator Arlen Specter as his advisor on climate, energy, and the environment. He remembers him fondly:

To me, he was good, funny, warm (for him), and it was a privilege to work with him. Yes, there is plenty to dislike about him, but the Senate would be much better off if there were more Arlen Specters.

Hanging Around by hellosputnik (cc by)

MetaFilter member Eyebrows McGee sits on a school expulsion board and has to face difficult decisions each day:

But fully half of the expulsions I processed in this batch read, "No one appeared on behalf of the student." Not ONE ADULT in the ENTIRE WORLD was willing to show up for an 11-year-old's expulsion hearing. No parents, no grandparent, no relative, no guardian, no pastor, no social worker, no employer or neighbor or coach. Not one adult for a 15-year-old on track to graduate who was in the first trouble of his career (the principal expelling him (properly, under the rules) asked us to give him a suspended sentence, which lets him stay at school as long as he doesn't screw up again, because he's a good kid).

Cottonmouth by ggallice (cc by)

On snakebites and antivenin.

Obey Giant by Stewart Dawson (cc by)

When a member recounts meeting Andre the Giant, while on a first date, at the premiere of The Princess Bride, there are at least three reasons the story is going to be great:

"I'm Admiral Haddock, Mr. The Giant, and I am on my first date with Jenny. I am a big fan and I think you're great."

Ishi Mural by swirey

We threw a little contest to keep August interesting, giving away some money and prizes to the moderators' favorite posts. There were tons of great stuff to choose from and many are mentioned in the notes for our latest podcast. Check them out and thanks to everyone that participated.

C.W. Billings (LOC) by The Library of Congress

MetaFilter member HuronBob got an amazing Christmas present one morning, his own rifle. He not only learned how to shoot it, but also learned what it meant to have a dad.

It was an Ithaca, single shot, lever action .22! All I had to do was throw on some boots and head for the fields across the street. Look out, rabbits! Get out of my way, crows! I'm after big game, fox, deer, elephant!

"First you have to learn how to shoot it safely."

James Bond 007 by Dave McLear (cc by)

If you're on the younger side and wonder what the appeal is of old James Bond movies, or if you're older and wondering why everyone loves the Jason Bourne movies, this insightful comment from wuwei dating back to a couple summers ago still rings true:

In today's world, that organization man who looked up to James Bond as a kind of avatar of his hopes and dreams, no longer exists.

Apollo 11 Bootprint by NASA on The Commons

On the occasion of Neil Armstrong's passing, MetaFilter member liza recounts how profound the moonwalk was to her and her family:

supposedly 500 million people saw that Lunar landing worldwide. beside the bouncing images of Armstrong on our little black & white TV, the most important memory i have of that day is that the sky, the Moon and space were only the limits to the opportunities i could have.

IMG_1536 by JohnnyO1000

At the third perfect game thrown in Major League Baseball this season, MetaFilter member Slarty Bartfast brought his 3 year old son to see his first game and it sounds like not only the perfect day but you find out the coincidences don't stop there:

At the last called strike, the crowd goes wild and the team is jumping up and down, giving each other hugs not 10 yards in front of us. My boy is getting high fives from all the people around us including the Mariners Moose and the people sitting in the row behind us who tell me my kid is the cutest, luckiest kid ever. Perfect game, indeed.

NRCSDC01017 by USDAgov (cc by)

MetaFilter member fraula tells the story of her amazing great-grandmother and how she struggled, yet supported not only her immediate and extended family, but the entire neighborhood as well:

My great-grandma always said she did it because we were all in it together. Maybe it's easier to understand when you know the crushing poverty, abandonment, violence, and terror of a tall, strong drunkard of a husband she had, while trying to raise eight children. Alone and sabotaged by abuse.

Mein Retromuseum by Andrea & Stefan (cc by)

On the occasion of the Commodore 64 turning 30 years old this week, a post on MetaFilter elicited memories of a bygone era from many members including sonascope's tales of family using them today and Ivan Fyodorovich's memories of a VIC-20 and pining for the c64. 1541 FTW!

122/366 - London 2012 tickets by p_a_h (cc by)

On the eve of the London Olympics, amid the media blast of popular sporting stories, Diablevert assembles all the interesting things about the olympics you might not have heard about.

Rogue vs. Parasite (212/365) by JD Hancock (cc by)

MeFite Narrative Priorities talks about a decade working in the comics industry.

Marvel and DC aren't the primary sources of forward momentum within the comics industry. Arguably, their relevance to the working comics community as a whole is at an all-time low. I have worked in comics for years, and the only thing that Batman makes possible in my life is a pile of movies I don't watch and books that I don't read.

Great Wall by michswiss

In a thread about "lost" or unrestored sections of the Great Wall of China, many members are sharing great stories of visiting relic sections of the Wall: story from awfurby, photos from michswiss, and lucy.jakobs' story and photos of an epic hike.